Music Program Enriches Services

Upcoming event: Mass Bay Choir Festival

On Sunday February 5, several choirs from the Mass Bay District will meet at the First Unitarian Society in Newton for the annual MBD Choir Festival. The choir members will congregate at 1.30 to warm up and get to know each other. At 2pm various conductors will rehearse the singers in the combined choir repertoire.

At 3pm the concert, which is free and open to the public, will begin, with each choir singing 2-3 numbers and then all the singers combining to sing together. This year the group will be singing “Amazing Grace,” “Rainforest Chant,” Bobby McFerrin’s “23rd Psalm,” and Rollo Dilworth’s “Take Me to the Water.”

We are asking that singers and audience members bring a donation for the Newton Food Pantry. This event is always a great time; we hope to see you there!

Contact Anne Watson-Born with questions: music [at] fusn [dot] org

Music has a rich history of professional and lay leadership and a vibrant role in services at FUSN. The music is chosen to complement each worship service; consequently, the musical styles vary. In addition to professional staff, a number of professional and amateur musicians offer their considerable talents in classical, jazz, folk, and world idioms to enhance the worship services. The congregation is encouraged to participate in each service with hymn singing and instant choir opportunities.

Several ensembles have sprung from congregational impetus: the Gospel Choir, the drumming ensemble, Creationdance, and the FUSN Inter-generational Chamber Orchestra. The music budget includes monies for occasional guest artists, which have included drummers from Mali, professional Baroque trumpet players, and Klezmer musicians.

Singers of Diverse Ages

The volunteer Chancel Choir of experienced and novice singers is open to any adult interested in a rewarding choral music experience-one that provides many opportunities for members to experience spirituality and community through music. The music ranges from classical through contemporary, jazz and folk. The choir performs two anthems and two responses at most services. There are two Music Sundays, one in November and one in March, each year; at these, and on other occasions, the choir presents extended choral works by composers such as Bach, Copland, Brahms, Fauré, Cooman or Vaughan Williams. Currently, two professional singers, a soprano and a bass, support the volunteer singers.

The choir provides a smaller community within the larger congregation where the volunteer members can make friends and deepen their connections to the society. The choir rehearses every Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall and every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. in the Sanctuary before service. Auditions are not required and visitors considering joining the choir are most welcome to attend a rehearsal or to contact the director by phone:  617-527-3203 or by email: awborn [at] gmail [dot] com.

Multi-generational music is important to the FUSN community. Youth singers and instrumentalists regularly contribute to worship. A Family Choir, comprised of children, parents and friends, sings at the multigenerational services 3-4 times during the year. The adult members of the orchestra actively mentor the children in the ensemble, helping them with technical and musical aspects of the repertoire. All of our ensembles perform together at the annual Carol Sing in December, on Christmas Eve, and at the two Music Sunday services.

Instruments in the Sanctuary and Beyond

Instruments in the Sanctuary include a 1911 Hook & Hastings four-manual organ that supports the congregation in singing hymns and the choir in singing its repertoire. The organ is also used to offer solo music from all periods of pipe organ composition. A  1984 Steinway B piano, acquired through a generous gift, is used for services and occasionally for concerts.

Other instruments include a five foot, ten and one-half-inch Model L Steinway in the Parish Hall. There is a Yamaha console piano in the Children's Chapel. Eleven tower bells, comprising a Westminster Peal, make possible regular chiming by trained volunteers before and after services and an occasional chiming concert for the community. Finally, five drums - djembes and tubanos - provide West African-style hand drumming for a small group of enthusiasts.

Music Staff

• Anne Watson Born, director of music ministry at FUSN,
  
  is also the music director of the Nashoba Valley Chorale and an adjunct professor at Roxbury Community College in Boston. Ms. Born was for many years an assistant professor at Bristol Community College; she was also the music director of the Brookline Chorus. She is the founding artistic director of the Women's Chorus of Boston and the Avenue of the Arts Chorale. Ms. Watson Born holds a BA degree in music from University of the Pacific and a master's degree in choral conducting from New England Conservatory. She lives in Brookline with her husband, Rick, her daughter, Sophie, and two dogs.
• FUSN Music Director Emerita Roberta Berry Humez is a singer, conductor, pianist, and founding director emerita of Youth Pro Musica. An active member of UUMN, AGO, and ACDA, she serves on several music boards and civic arts enterprises. Since 1962 she has worked with a dozen organists and served under seven ministers in this society. Ms. Humez retired in 2007 and was named director emerita after serving the society for 45 years.
• Carson Cooman, organist at FUSN, is an American composer with a catalogue of works in many forms: ranging from solo instrumental pieces to operas, and from orchestral works to hymn tunes. He is in continual demand for new commissions, and his music has been performed on all six inhabited continents. His work is published primarily by Musik Fabrik, Lauren Keiser Music Publishing, and Wayne Leupold Editions, Inc. Cooman's music appears on over twenty-five recordings, including ten complete CDs on the Naxos, Albany, Artek, and Zimbel labels. Cooman's primary composition studies have been with Bernard Rands, Judith Weir, Alan Fletcher, and James Willey. As an active concert organist, Cooman specializes exclusively in the performance of new music. Over 130 new works have been composed for him by composers from around the world, and his performances of the work of contemporary composers can be heard on a number of CD recordings. Cooman is also a writer on musical subjects, producing articles and reviews frequently for a number of international publications. He serves as an active consultant on music business matters to composers and performing organizations. For more information, visit www.carsoncooman.com.